LeBron exits LA and an American F1 star: our bold sports predictions for 2023 - The Guardian
Here are our bold predictions for 2023 in sports. Please note the bold (or should that be bold?) in bold predictions: these are to be taken with a pinch of salt.
LeBron demands a trade back to Cleveland
LeBron James is in hell. With Anthony Davis indefinitely encumbered and the Lakers front office indefinitely refusing to get him any additional help, what once seemed like a sunny and pleasant place to play his final few years in the league is now seeming like a very painful torture chamber where no matter how well he plays, they lose. James has hinted in the past that a return to the Land isn’t out of the question, and the dire circumstances in LA make it feel like it could be happening sooner rather than later. The future Hall of Famer wasn’t eligible for a trade this year due to an extension signed over the summer, but if the Lakers miss the playoffs for a second straight year, keep your eyes peeled for the trade rumblings to begin in the summer of 2023. Claire de Lune
The Carolina Panthers win a playoff game this year
Who among you had the Panthers fighting for a division title after they started the season 1-5, firing their head coach and trading away their cornerstone running back Christian McCaffrey? You don’t have to answer that.
It’s probably safer to say that a week after torching the scorching Detroit Lions for 320 rushing yards in their latest under-the-radar victory, that Carolina will find a few more backers for a victory over Tom Brady’s tortured Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Not only will the surging Panthers put the final nail into Brady’s annus horribilis, but Carolina will win the NFC South and then, they’ll even go on to win a playoff game. And who better to send the Dallas Cowboys home early (again) than a once-left-for-dead Panthers team, led by a once-left-for-dead quarterback Sam Darnold, who has committed exactly one turnover since taking over the starting gig in Week 12. David Lengel
Alycia Parks reaches the second week at a grand slam
Parks, who played just eight junior events and skipped the girls’ majors entirely, first grabbed the attention of the tennis world at the 2021 US Open, when she matched Venus Williams’s all-time tournament record for the fastest serve by a woman with a 129mph cracker. But the 21-year-old Atlanta native, who entered last season ranked 234th, quietly made her biggest strides yet over the last few months of 2022, scoring a couple of milestone wins against name-brand opponents in Ostrova, reaching the semis at an ITF event in Valencia, then closing the year on a 10-match win streak including back-to-back WTA 125 titles in Andorra and France. That run lifted her ranking from 150th to a career-high 75th, sparing her the grind of going through qualifying at the majors entering 2023. Big things await. Bryan Armen Graham
Tom Brady heads home to San Francisco
It’s been a miserable year for Tom Brady in Tampa. The offense as a whole has been a rudderless mess, often devoid of fresh ideas. His offensive line has been broken; Brady taking more hits than at any other point in his career. The Bucs have the worst point differential in the worst division in the NFL. And Brady’s private life has been plastered across the tabloids.
The chances are now close to zilch that Brady will return to Tampa next season, but it seems equally unlikely that he’ll take up his lucrative position at Fox. Instead, the greatest to ever do it will be back on the open market again looking for one last shot at a title.
Brady’s best bet: heading home to San Francisco. He reportedly wanted to sign with his hometown team before choosing the Buccaneers in 2020 and has watched the 49ers consistently contend under head coach Kyle Shanahan despite a raft of injuries at the most valuable position in the sport. Given the inconsistent play of Trey Lance whenever he’s seen time on the field, it’s unlikely that the Niners would pass on Brady a second time. It all makes too much sense: Brady makes one final run for a title with the team he grew up supporting; the Niners get a chance to contend with their all-star core; Brady then hands the torch to Lance after another year of sitting and learning. Oliver Connolly
John Henry sells the Boston Red Sox
Ever since the infamous Mookie Betts trade, it’s been obvious that Henry’s priorities have not lied with the Major League Baseball team that won four World Series titles under his watch. Even if there is no truth behind the rumors that Fenway Sports Group (alongside high-profile investor LeBron James) is interested in purchasing a potential new NBA franchise in Las Vegas, it could simply be time for Henry and co to seek a lucrative ROI on one of MLB’s most valuable teams. Hunter Felt
Logan Sargeant breaks America’s F1 scoreless streak
It was only a matter of a time before a Yankee rejoined the F1 circus. But instead of IndyCar’s Colton Herta, the seat opposite Alex Albon goes to Williams development driver Logan Sargeant, a 21-year-old Florida man who made a brief cameo for the team at last year’s US Grand Prix – his due reward for a spectacular maiden F2 campaign. If any American can handle the promotion, it’s the guy who became the first American in nearly four decades to win the FIA’s Karting World Championship and came a hair’s breadth of making similar history in F3 in recent years.
There’s no question Sargeant will become the first American since Mario Andretti to score F1 points; Williams’ bold strategy calls will make sure of that. The question is whether Sargeant will be as good as Valtteri Bottas and George Russell were in that spot and set himself up for a major move up to Mercedes – when Sir Lewis is ready to move on, of course. Don’t be surprised if the answer comes much sooner than expected. Andrew Lawrence
Three MVPs, three different teams
I’ll preface this by saying that I’m offering these predictions before the playoff field has even been set, but this exercise calls for boldness, so here goes. Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady will all suit up for different teams in 2023. The bet here is that Brady once again spurns retirement, that the Packers move Rodgers a year after handing him a mammoth contract and that the Ravens allow the best quarterback in their franchise’s history to leave the building. And just because I’m feeling especially bold, I’ll even guess their new teams: Rodgers reunites with Davante Adams in Las Vegas, Jackson finally links up with a quality receiving corps in Miami and Brady makes an audacious return to New England. Tom Kludt
Europe reclaims the Ryder Cup from the US
Perhaps this is not a bold prediction after all, given the pitiful record of US Ryder Cup teams on European soil. They have not prevailed away from home since 1993. Still, a 19-9 win for the US at Whistling Straits in 2021 fueled theories of lengthy dominance for those wearing stars and stripes. How could Europe possibly compete with this depth of talent in American golf?
The answer is threefold. Firstly, as noted, the US are infamously poor at handling European course conditions. The core of the home team for September’s joust in Rome already looks set and already looks strong: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton and the US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick. Should Justin Rose and Alex Noren blast back to form, Europe would be even stronger.
The third, and perhaps key, point is that while Europe have almost certainly lost icons – Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood – to the vulgarity of LIV, time was being called on the Ryder Cup playing careers of these guys anyway. Likewise does not apply to the US. Barring some unforeseen change in circumstances, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka will be removed from the Ryder Cup scene because of their LIV attachment. Three of the four played in Wisconsin, with Reed a controversial exclusion. Zach Johnson will have to rely heavily on inexperience for the trip to Italy. Europe, with a point to prove, should have sufficient answers to that. Ewan Murray
Netflix finally gets off the sidelines
While Amazon and Apple have broken the bank for the rights to live sports, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos recently mused that “we’re not anti-sports, we’re just pro-profit.” But after seeing its documentaries such as Formula 1: Drive to Survive change the sports landscape, Netflix will realize it can get more bang for its buck with (a) sports that are under the radar, at least in the US, and (b) sports whose stories are better told after the fact than live. With emerging sports like ultimate (formerly ultimate frisbee) looking for breakthrough coverage and Olympic sports falling through the cracks with the closures of NBCSN and the Olympic Channel, Netflix will package them all together by bringing back the sports anthology show, awakening Gen X memories of Wide World of Sports. If Netflix doesn’t do it, someone else will do it and experience the thrill of victory, while those who overpaid to get into the overcrowded live sports marketplace will experience the agony of defeat. (Also, curling will overtake pickleball and cornhole to post consistent ratings on any network smart enough to pick it up. Well, those of us who spend our weekends on ice can dream!) Beau Dure
The Jaguars reach the 2023 AFC championship game
I admittedly have Jacksonville fever at the moment, but I genuinely see this organization taking another leap in 2023. So much is thanks to the second-year massive leap from Trevor Lawrence. Aside from fumbling issues, this quarterback has all the tools to elevate the franchise into greatness. Plus, he’ll have a new weapon in Calvin Ridley next season, and a full season with Doug Pederson under his belt. The Jags have exceeded expectations in 2022 – five or six wins would have shown growth. Even in much of their losses, this team competed, and its upward trajectory has only grown clearer as the season evolved. Yes, the 2023 cap situation may be dire for Jacksonville, making it difficult to fill every hole. But teams often go as far as their quarterback and team culture. The Jags are in prime shape in these departments. Melissa Jacobs
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